Monthly Archives: November 2015

If you’ve been following along with this blog for a while, you know that our annual tradition is to have Friendsgiving, rather than a family-filled Thanksgiving, due to our logistical separations. We kept our theme to our meal to a smaller scale this year and also kept it centered around everyone’s traditional Thanksgiving fare. Eek we just get so excited for in the weeks that lead up to our dinner.

We live for the menu planning, the prep and yes, even those million little last second details that keep us buzzing around here and there. Year after year when all of our guest have left for the night, we head off to bed, we both look at one another and smile talking about how everything was so worth it in the end.

Typically we wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put up our tree, well except the past two years. Last year Mr. B got excited and insisted we purchase another tree because he had crossed the 5 year mark in Korea and I think he realized that the one we had sitting in storage wasn’t going to be making an appearance anytime soon in Korea. He also declared that he wanted to put it up before we had hosted our Friendsgiving. It was really sweet.

This year i’ve noticed many of our friends posting photos of their cozy homes all decked out with their Christmas swag. At first I thought ALREADY?! Then this past week it got me and sucked me right in. I’m guilty, i’ve had Charlie Brown’s Christmas music on and have changed out our pumpkins for red berries and greens.

After I decorated the first tree, I decided something needed to be filling the air with its Christmasy flair. I’m not talking about a candle, it needed to be homemade and baked for the right feel to go along with the good vibes.

As you know, I adore our cookbook collection and of course consulted my gal-pal Isa and whipped up an orange chocolate chip bundt cake. The cake uses orange zest and really added that hint of citrus spiciness you think of around the fall/winter holidays. Just enough to tickle the nostrils and stimulate your taste buds! Plus Mr. B is a huge fan of chocolate. Win-win!

You can find the link to her recipe here. I highly recommend you pick up her book, even if you check it out for a bit from your local library. I tweaked the recipe due to the availability of items in our kitchen. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, homemade vanilla extract, tangerines in the place of orange for the zest, used Ghirardelli Chocolate 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips in the place of semi-sweet, and I cut back on the sugar. I also didn’t end up adding in the ground flaxseed. Digging into the cake that evening was a treat! Next time I’m going to make sure I have oranges on hand just to taste the difference.

We are not skipping or discounting any part of Thanksgiving this year, but as i’ve seen and recently have felt, it’s never to early to get excited about something as important as Christmas! What are your feelings, or are you waiting until after Thanksgiving to get in the Christmas spirit?

Soooooo…. It’s been a while huh? Time for a come-back. I took a bit of a break and focused on life. We all need that sometimes, right? So I’m forgiven.

One way to describe how the Fall months make me feel is, you know that heart-eyed emoji? Yep. That’s me! Apple absolutely carbon copied my face. Ha-ha! Kidding. But in all seriousness, I do use that emoji every.single.text. to relay my expression to the recipient.

With all this fall talk comes intense cravings for the seasonal foods that fall brings. Right now it’s all about squash, homemade crusty breads, the hearty soups I make each weekend to warm our tummies, fresh pomegranates, and crisp apples. I always look forward to Fall and how all of the delicious foods and meals around this time of year bring family and friends together. It’s incredible that breaking bread together can break down barriers, and forge relationships. It’s something that Mr. B and I experience so often in South Korea. Our neighbors and dear friends have gifted us with all sorts of yummy treats. This year we’re looking forward to another friends-giving and will have some new faces around our table. More to report back with on that later.

I haven’t really captured many photos this Fall, except for on Instagram, of the leaves that are still bursting in burnt orange, a bright golden-yellow, and an ever stunning maroon. Recently in the mornings you can feel the briskness in the fresh air, be able to take in the sweet smell of wet leaves, and it just feels so great.

Sooo….I’m going to jump right in with some photos from our recent dinner. Mr. B and I discovered a goose while out shopping and decided to splurge and try it out. Thanks to the assistance of Chef Gordon Ramsey and this video, we spiced it up and cooked our goose!

Just take a look at this baby! The goose was incredibly flavorful and tender! If you get the opportunity grab a goose for a special dinner and get cooking.

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